Valve



April 21, 1931. R. w. Fox ET AL VALVE Filed Ma 22, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 1ISnueutors GttprncgS Q R F R April 21, 1931. R. w FQX ET AL 1,802,205

VALVE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imnentors Filed May 2-2, 1928 V W27 WWW(Ittornegs 3 nvcntors VALVE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 li E April 21, '1931. R. w.FOX ETAL Filed May 22, 1928 Patented Apr. '21, 1931 outrun s'rrssPATENTOFFICE.

RAYMOND W. FOX, 01? NEW YORK, N. Y., AND IYIARC A. GUIGOU, OFRIDGE-WOOD,

' NEW JERSEY VALVE Application'filed May 22,

This invention rclatesato valves, and more particularly to cut-off orswitching and distributing valves in lines for the transportation offinely divided materials carried by air 5 or other fluid.

I Greatdifliculty has heretofore been experiencedi-n providing suitablevalves for such purposes. For example, the common pracrice in plantswhere pulverized or finely divided coal is stored ready for firing, asin a bin and feeder system or in a unit system w-itha stand-by storage,is to transport the pulverized coal to the storage bin through atransport line by using a suitable fluid as a carrying medium. In suchsystems the transport lines are fitted with cut-off valves to stop theflow when the storage bin is full, or with switching and distributingvalves to direct the coal into other bins when one bin '20 has becomefull. Due to the deposit of the comminuted coal around the valve seatand on the moving parts of the valve, it has been found that valvesheretofore used in such systems do not seat properly and leakage 'rev2sults. If the storage bin overflows, the pulverized coal will sift downthrough the surrounding air and produce explosive mixtures, and as suchstorage bins are of necessity located near or over the place of firing,very dangerous explosion may result. At best the distribution of thematerial is faulty and unreliable; leaks of-this kind cause losses inthe pressure and velocity of the transporting air stream; and theresultant waste, lack of economy .and efficiency, and unreliability arevery objectionable.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved valve capable of seating tightly under any and all conditions,thus obviating the above disadvantages.

Another object is to provide novel means, for installation withnewvalves or forrapplication to existing valves, for effectively clearingoff all deposits from the valve, valve seat, and all moving parts andthus to-insure proper operation.

A further obJect 1s to provide means for roducing a turbulent, swirlingstream of a suitable fluid around the valve and valve seat.

1928. Serial No. 279,739.-

A still further object is to provide means for controlling the flow ofsuch a fluid in accordance with the movement of the valve itself. 7 Afurther object is to provide means of the character described which areefficient and reliable in operation, and are simple to construct andeconomical to manufacture.

lVith the above objects in view, the invention, broadly stated, consistsin a novel form of valve for use in systems for distributing comminutedmaterials, including means for producing a fluid current or stream sodirected and controlled as to eflectively clear off all of the parts ofthe valve mechanism. Preferably the clearing fluid, such as air, isapplied to the valve and valve seat so as to produce a turbulent swirlaround and along the conveying conduit.

To this end, the

clearing fluid is admitted through ports which direct fluid streamssubstantially tangent to the'valve seat and oblique thereto and to thedirection of flow of the comminuted materials. If desired, means arelikewiseprovided for controlling the supply of clearing fluid to theseports so that it is supplied only when the valve approachcs or leavesits seat during its opening and" closing movement. In the preferredform, the

clearing fluid ports are formed in stationary parts forming the valveseat itself, and are so designed that the fluid stream clears not onlythe seat, but the cooperating valve face and all moving parts of thevalve mechanism as well.

Severalembodiments ofthe invention have I been llustrated in theaccompanying dra-wings, but it is to be expressly understood-that thedrawings are for purposes of illustration only and are not tobeconstrued as a definition of the limits of the invention, ref- V erenc-ebeing had to the appended claims for i this purpose.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows an elevation, partly insection, of a distributing valveconstructed accordmgto the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the moving part." of Fig. 1

in perspective and Fig. 3 is a detail of the valve, valve seat andclearing fluid port-s,-

Fig. 4 is a detail of a valve seat holding ring;

Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a different form ofdistributing valve embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the moving parts of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail of the valve and valve seat;

Fig. 8 is an elevation, partly in section, of a stop valve embodying theinvention;

Fig. 9 shows the moving pa 5:; of Fig. 8 in perspective Fig. 10 is adetail of the valve and valve seat; and

Fig. 11 is a detail showing the valve seat provided with ports for theclearing air.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference charactersindicate like parts throu bout the several views, Fig. 1 shows a valveody 1 which may be suitably connected at 2 to a transport line conveyingcomminuted material, and is provided with a plurality of outlet openings3, 4 for conducting said material to any one of a plurality ofdestinations. In the form shown, each of said outlet openings isprovided with a suitable valve seat, and a valve 5 is rotatably mountedin the valve body so as to cooperate alternately with one of said valveseats. Preferably, said valve 5 is of the plug type, and supported inthe valve body by means of a bearing support or extension through whichpasses a short shaft 7 which is keyed to the support 6 at 8. Collars 9and set screws 10 may be employed to prevent movement of the pluglongitudinally of the shaft 7. Shaft 7 is preferably supported at oneend in the valve body 1, and at its other end passes through the valvebody and is provided with any suitable means for rotating the same,which, as shown, comprise a worm wheel 11 fast on the shaft 7. and aworm 12 engaging the wheel 11 and mounted on a shaft 13 which may berotated by a hand wheel 14 or other suitable means.

The valves should preferably be capable of an air-tight closure, and inpra Y'ce it therefore desirable to employ a metal. to rubber orcomposition seating. Either the stationary or the moving valve part maybe of metal and the other of composition or other suitable material.Preferably, however, and in the form shown in Fig. 1, the two oppositefaces of the plug 5 are provided with rubber or composition disks 15,which may be secured in place by means of metal plates 16 and bolts 17extending into the faces of the plugs. The outer peripheries 18 of thedisks are preferably inclined to conform to the inclined faces 19 ofvalve seat rings 20 with which they engage when the valve is in eitherclosed position. The rings 20 may be secured in the valve body in anysuitable way, and as shown each is seated in a recess 21 and is held inplace by means of a holding ring 22 which is threaded at 23 in the valvebody 1. Preferably, a gasket 24 is interposed between the holding ring22 and the ring 20, and a gasket 25 is interposed between the ring 20and the body 1, in each case.

The danger of the deposit of dust, etc., on the valve seat so as tointerfere with the operation of the valve is obviated to a considerableextent by the provision of the inclined seat having a flush surfacewithout ledges or pockets. But in order to positively prevent thishappening, means are provided for directing a fluid stream on the valveparts, in such manner as to cause a turbulent swirl or eddy adjacentthese parts. The clearing fluid for the valve parts may be suppliedthrough a supply line 26, communicating with a suitable port or portsdesigned to control the flow of the clearing fluid to produce thisresult. Preferably these ports are formed in the stationary parts of thevalve mechanism, and in this case the supply line 26, as shown in Fig.1, delivers the fluid to annular channels 27 formed. in the valve body 1in the rear of the holding rings 22 and valve seat rings 20. Preferablythe fluid is delivered to said channels tangentially so as to create acirculation around the same. The clearing fluid ports may be formed inthe holding ring 22, or valve seat ring 20, or both. In the form shown,a plurality of radially disposed ports 28 are cut in the bottom of theholding ring 22, said ports having restricted inner end openings 29through which the clearing fluid passes at relatively high velocity intothe interior of the conduits 3 and l. Preferably, the shape of suchports is such as to impart to the clearing fluid a component of motionin the direction of flow of the connninuted material through theconduits, and said ports are likewise inclined with respect to the radiiof the holding ring, as shown in Fig. 4, in such a direction that theclearing fluid impinging on the sides of the ports tends to tighten theholding ring in its threads. A sort of helical swirl of the clearingfluid is created immediately adjacent the valve seat, and this swirlpasses around and down the inclined face of the valve seat, as shown inFig. 3, and also strikes against the face 18 of the disk 15 as thelatter approaches closed position, thereby cleaning oil the faces of thevalve and valve seat and insuring a tight closure. lVhcn the valvereaches the closed position shown in Fig. 3, the air passes upwardlythrough the space 30 between the valve plug and the holding ring 22 andthen around the support (3 and the ends of the shaft 7, therebypreventing the accumulation of the material at these points and theclogging of the valve operation.

The supply of clearing air through the line 26 may be controlled eithermanually at the ports for admitting the latter vention. In these.figures,

option of the operator, or automatically through the movement of thevalve'plug 5. To this latter end, a valve 31 of any suitable type isinterposed in the line 26, and is normally held in closed position bymeans of a spring 32. The euter end of the valve stem carries a roller33 which engages a cam member 34 threaded on the shaft 13, but preventedfrom rotating therewith by any suitable means, not shown. As soon as thehand wheel 14 is rotated to open the valve 5, the cam member 3e istherefore advanced longitudinally of the shaft 13, thereby depressingroller 33 and opening valve 31, and admitting clearing air through thepipe 26jto the ports 28; Preferably, the cam member 34 is provided withanotch' 35 in its center, whereby the valve 5 may be left in anintermediate position with both outlets 3 and a open, and the clearingair be shut off. I In all positions between the two closed positions ofvalve 5 and the in termediate position, however, the valve 31 is openand clearing air isadmitted to the ports.

\Vhen the plug is in its intermediate posi-. tion, it may readily bereached for purposes of repair or replacement of disks 15, etc., by theprovision of openings 36 in the valve body, which openings are normallyclosed by the plates 37 held in place by clamps 38 and bolts 39. 3

Figs. 5 and 6 show a, distributing valve provided with a somewhatdifferent form of valve and valve seat. In these figures, the movingparts of the valve area-llof metal, formed integrally with the plug 5.Thevalve seat ring 40 in this case is'formed of rubber or composition,a-ndis held in place by the holding ring 22 as in Fig. 1, being clampedbetween corrugations l1 in the casting and a corrugated metal ring 42.These corrugations grip the composition ring 40 and prevent any slippingor displacement of the same. The arrangement of the valve operatingparts, the clearing fluid supply, and the to the valve seat, ispreferably the same as above described in connection with Fig. 1.

Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, illustrate. a stop or cut-off valve constructedaccordingto the inthe valve body 1 is provided with but a single outlet,and the valve plugis single-faced to cooperate with v the seat in saidoutlet. As shown, the operation of the valve mechanism is the sameasthat heretofore described in connection with Figs, 1 to 6, inclusive,except that the automatic control of the clearing fluid is omitted. In

same cases, however, as shown in-this form of the invention, it maybedesirahle to combine the valve seatring and valve seat holding ring in asingle member 43, having an upper threaded portion let for engagementwith the valve body. The ring 43 is seated ina recess in the valve'bodyas shown in Fig. 8, preferably on a suitable gasket 45, and the ports 28for-the admission of the clearing fluid are cut through the ring fromthe annular channel 27 to the valve seat, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11.The ring 43 is preferably of metal, and the cooperating face of the plugmay be of metal, or maybe provided with a suitable rubber or compositionfacing as heretofore described.

The valve and clearing mechanism above describedis' simple andeconomical in construction and operation, and insures a positivemovement of the plug,a clean seat, and therefore a tight valve inanyclosed position. The rapidly swir'l'ng clearing fluid wipes off cleanlyall the surfaces with which it comes in contact and causes the dislodgedmaterial to pass out the open side of the valve. In the case of thedistributing valve shown in Fig. 1, the clearing fluid whichisfiadmitted to the valve seat in the'closed outlet 3 passes up throughthe channel 30 and around the supporting shaft and trunnions of thevalve plug, forcing any material deposited in these spaces out into theopenside of the valve body and into the outlet When the hand wheel M isrotated to reverse the valve, the plug may therefore rotate withoutdanger of clogging, andas the face of the plug approaches the seat inthe outlet l, theswirling fluid in the latter clears the seat for theplug. The valve closure is therefore perfectly tight, and th ere is noleakage through the valve when onceit has been closed.

lVhil'e the invention has been described in connection with a system forconveying pulverized coal, it will beobvious that it is equallyapplicable to any transport system where any finely divided material,such as cement,

gypsum, or dust, etc., is transported by air or othergas, or by water orother liquid. As a general rule, the clearing fluid to be employed willcorrespond with the fluid which acts as a carrying medium, whether gas,liquid, etc. It is not required, however, that the same mediumbe'employed for both purposes. It will also be observed that theinvention may be applied to existing valves in actual operation, withgreatly improved results-and efliciency and with comparatively littleadded cost. I 1

-lVhile several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, it is to beexpressly understood that theinvention is not limited thereto, but is capable of a variety ofmechanical expressions, manyof which will now readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, and that changes may be'made in the form, detailsand arrangement of the various parts without departing from the spiritof the invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the appendedclaims fora definition of the limits of the invention,

-IVhat is claimed is z 1. In apparatusof the class described, a

conduit, a valve seat therein, a valve cooperating with said seat, andmeans for directing a fluid stream obliquely to the direction of flowthrough said conduit and tangentially to said seat, whereby a fluidswirl is created adjacent the periphery of said valve seat.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a valve seat,a valve cooperating therewith, means for directing a stream of clearingfluid across said seat, and valve means controlled in accordance withthe movement of said first named valve for controlling said fluiddirecting means.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a valve seat,a valve cooperating therewith, means for directing a stream of clearingfluid across said seat, a valve controlling said fluid stream, and valveoperating means controlled in accordance with movements of said firstnamed valve.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising valve seat means andvalve means cooperating therewith, one of said means being provided witha fluid channel directed obliquely and tangentially to said seat.

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising valve seat means, valvemeans cooperating therewith, one of said means being provided with afluid channel directed toward said seat, and means controlled inaccordance with movements of said valve for conducting fluid to saidchannel.

6. Apparatus of the class described comprising valve seat means andvalve means 00- operating therewith, said valve seat means having afluid channel directed obliquely and tangentially to the valve seat.

7. Apparatus of the class described comprising valve seat means andvalve means, said valve seat means having a fluid channel directedtoward the valve seat, and means controlled in accordance with movementof said valve means for conducting fluid to said channel.

8. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, a valveseat therein having a face inclined relative to the direction of flowtherethrough, a valve having a face inclined to engage said seat, andmeans directing a stream of clearing fluid across the inclined face ofsaid seat oblique to the direction of flow through the valve.

9. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, a valveseat member therein, and a valve member cooperating with said seat, oneof said member having a face of yielding material, and one of saidmembers having a fluid port directing a stream of clearing fluid acrossthe face of said seat and toward its outlet end.

10. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, valve seatmeans therein, and valve means cooperating with said seat means, one ofsaid means having a face of yielding material, said valve seat meanshaving a fluid port directing a stream of clearing fluid across saidseat and toward its outlet end.

11. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, a valveseat therein, a valve, and a member of yielding material seoured to saidvalve to engage said seat, said valve seat having a plurality of portsdirecting air streams across the cooperating faces of said seat and saidmember.

12. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, a valveseat ring therein, a valve seat holding ring, and a valve having a faceof yielding material to engage said seatring, said valve face and seatring having cooperating faces inclined relative to the direction of flowthrough the valve.

13. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, a valveseat ring therein, a valve seat holding ring, a valve cooperating withsaid scat ring, said valve and ring having cooperating faces inclinedrelative to the direction of flow therethrough, said holding ring havinga plurality of ports directing fluid streams tangentially against theinclined face of said seat ring, and means for conducting fluid to saidports.

14. Apparatus of the class described comprising a valve body, a recesstherein, a valve seat ring in said recess, a valve seat holdi ringclamping said seat ring in place. said valve body having a fluid passageadjacent said holding ring, said holding ring having a plurality ofports for directing fluid streams on the valve seat, and a valvecooperating with said seat ring.

15. In apparatus for directing the flow of comminuted materialtransported by a fluid carrying medium, a valve body having an admissionopening and a pair of emission openings, a plug adapted to close eitherof said emission openings, means for moving said plug, and meansautomatically actuated by operation of said first named means forclearing off deposits from the plug and body.

16. In apparatus for directing the flow of comminuted materialtransported by a fluid carrying medium, a valve body having an admissionopening and a pair of emission openings, a plug for closing either ofsaid emission openings while permitting flow through the other emissionopening, plug moving means, means for clearing ofl' deposits from theplug and body, and means operated by said plug moving means foractuating said clearing means.

17. In apparatus of the class described, a valve seat, a valvecooperating therewith, means for directing a fluid stream across saidvalve seat, means for operating said valve, a second valve controllingthe supply of fluid to said fluid directing means, and means operativelyconnecting said valve operating means and said second valve to actuatethe latter in conformity with the movement of said first valve. I

18. In apparatus of the, class described, a

valve comprising a valve seat and a movable valve member cooperatingtherewith, means for directing a fluid stream across said valve seat,means for operating sald valve member,

a second valve controlling the supply offluid to said directing means,and a cam actuated by said valve operating means and operativelyconnected with said second valve.

19. In apparatus for directing the flow of comminuted materialtransported by a fluid carrying medium, a Valve body having an admissionopening and a pair of emission openings, a plug adapted to close eitherof said emission openings, means for moving said plug, means fordirecting a fluid stream into said openings to-clear ofl deposits fromthe plug and body, and means actuated by said plug moving means andcontrolling said fluid stream, said last named means being adapted tosupply fluid to said directing means when said plug is out of closingposition. v

20. In an apparatus for directing the flow of comminuted materialtransported by a fluid carrying medium, a valve body having an admissionopening and a pairof emission openings, a plug for closing either ofsaid emission openings While permitting flow through the other emissionopening, plug moving means, means for blowing off deposits from saidplug and body, a valve for said blowing means, and a cam'actuated bysaid plug moving means and controlling said last named valve, said cambeing shaped so that said valve is closed when said plug is in closingposition and is open when said plug occupies a position intermediate itsclosing positions. i i

In testimony whereof we havesigned this specificaiton. V

RAYMOND W. FOX. MARC A. GUIGOU.

